13 
5 

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REPORT 



UPOX 



Cjje $tata&ircl statistics 



OP THE 



CITY OF WASHINGTON, 



AND OP THE 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION, 



WITH THE 



igttbmt o'f |l§pk JP .mvth mi $L §• 



AT TnE 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 

DECEMBER 17. 1- AND 19, 1857. 



WASHINGTON: 

HENRY POLKINHORN, PRINTER, 

1858. 



REPORT 



UPON 



%\t $Ua\km\ statistic 



OF THE 



CITY OE WASHINGTON, 



AND OF THE 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION, 



WITH THE 



2L M> Smith m& C 1* 



AT THE 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

DECEMBER 17, 18 AND 19, 1857. 



WASHINGTON : 
HENRY POLKINHORN, PRINTER. 

1858. 



> 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



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Q 



HE P O H T 



The committee appointed by the Columbian Teachers' Asso- 
ciation to obtain a census of all the children of proper school 
age in the city of Washington, and also other statistics connec- 
ted with school accommodations, respectfully make the following 

report : 

It may be proper to state that neither the Association nor the 
committee had any thought in the beginning of entering upon 
the work which has since been performed. One of the members, 
in his remarks upon the importance of making a special effort 
to bring the subject of education more directly and effectually 
before the people, stated that there were thousands of children 
in this city of school age, who were not only not in any school, 
but had neither the means nor the opportunity of attending any 
school, public or private. But others doubting the correctness 
of the declaration, it was suggested that some means be used to 
ascertain, with as much accuracy as possible, the number of 
children who do not enjoy school privileges. 

Some proposed to make an estimate from the census of 1850 ; 
but others considered that mode unsatisfactory ; whereupon it 
was proposed to raise a large voluntary committee, who should 
take an actual census of the whole, or of such part of the city, 
as would enable them to judge with sufficient accuracy as to its 
educational wants. Such a committee volunteered to enter 
upon the work ; but all did not properly consider the magnitude, 
or the difficulty of the undertaking. At a subsequent meeting 
of the Association, the report on statistics being called for, it 
was ascertained that only two of the committee had made any 
progress. Yet the facts and results of this partial canvass wer e 
so interesting, and of such an important character, that most o 



the voluntary committee were appointed a special committee to 
complete the work. 

This committee met to conclude upon some definite plan of 
operation ; and after giving the whole subject mature considera- 
tion, they concluded that, as the results of such a census as 
proposed would be of great importance, and almost exclusively 
so to those having charge of the public schools of the city ; and 
that, as the taking of the census of the school children by the 
Teachers' Association, might be considered by some as interfe- 
ring with business that belongs to public authority, and espe- 
cially to the Trustees of Public Schools, they had better con- 
sult with those Trustees, and obtain their sanction and co-opera- 
tion. Such a consultation was held as soon as possible ; and as 
the objects stated and the plan proposed by this committee of 
Teachers met the hearty approval of the Trustees, they ap- 
pointed a special committee of their own to co-operate with, and 
aid. the Teachers' Association, not only to complote the census, 
but to examine and ascertain the dimensions, locations and 
character of the school-houses and rooms used for school pur- 
poses. 

The Trustees gave additional proof of their interest in this 
educational movement, and of their approval of the efforts 
being made by the Teachers' Association for the benefit of pub" 
lie instruction in this city, by appointing another special com- 
mittee to make application to the Board of Aldermen and Com- 
mon Council, for a small appropriation to aid in defraying such 
necessary expenses as might be incurred in accomplishing this 
desirable work. The city government generously responded to 
the call, and passed a special act appropriating one hundred 
dollars, or as much of the same as might be necessary to do the 
Work properly. 

The work of canvassing was again entered upon by the com- 
mittee, who, in connection with one of the Trustees, obtained, 
by their own personal and gratuitous efforts, the number of 
3,406. The balance of the canvassing was done by persons 
who were paid for their work. The amount and difficulty of 



o 



the work has been great ; yet it has been done expeditiously, 
thoroughly, and at the least possible expense. 

In taking this census of children of school age, the commit- 
tee concluded to fix the limits of ages to five and eighteen. The 
age of five may be considered by some as too young, and that 
of eighteen, too old. The question as to what is the most proper 
age for children to commence school, will be aiFected very much 
by the physical and mental developments of the child, by the 
kind of home influence, and the character of the school. The 
committee, however, concluded that if a sufficient number of 
the right kind of schools were established, a large number of 
children between the ages of five and six would be gathered into 
them. In fact, in almost every city where public schools are 
well established, a large number of children under six years 
attend school. In the State of Rhode Island one-tenth of all 
the children in school are under six years. The State of Mas- 
sachusetts, and very many other States, begin the school age at 

five. 

Again, very many children over fifteen attend schools. About 
one-tenth of the children where good public schools are enjoyed, 
are between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, or over fifteen- 
In providing school accommodations, therefore, the committee 
concluded that all between the ages of five and eighteen should 
be regarded. All who know the value of a thorough elemen- 
tary education, can very readily see that very few persons are 
properly educated for any responsible position or profession, 
before they are eighteen years of age. 

The results of the eanvass show that the whole number of 
children in the city between the ages of five and eighteen, is 
10,697 ; in private schools 3,228 ; in public schools 2,400 ; in 
no school 5,069. The per cent, in private schools 30 1-10 ; in 
public schools 22 4-10, and in no school 47£ per cent. 

In the schedule marked A, will be found a similar summary 
and calculation for each ward. 

It will be seen that the proportion of those not attending any 
school is very large ; but many of them are absent from school 



6 

or reasons which would be considered good, under the best sys- 
tem of school accommodations. Some are absent on account of 
poor general health ; some on account of imbecility of body or 
mind ; some because their time and labor are needed for the 
support of themselves, or of friends dependent upon them ; some 
because they think they have finished their education — and 
there may be others out of school for good reasons ; but by far 
the greater portion of those out of school, are either totally 
unable to attend a pay-school, or to find admission into the pub- 
lic schools. The public schools are nearly filled to their utmos- 
capacity. The dumber of vacancies is much less than the num- 
ber of rejected applicants. A large number of parents com- 
plain that they have made repeated applications for the admis- 
sion of their children to the public schools, but have been put 
off from time to time, until they have become disheartened. 
In some cases, perhaps, the fault is their own, if they fail to 
gain admission when they desire. But there are at least five 
unsuccessful applicants, where there is one vacancy. As a gen- 
eral thing, where a school has less than its full number, it is 
because the applicants are not of the right grade, or are in a 
distant part of the city, from schools not full. 

We have no hesitation in giving it as our opinion, that if 
there were a sufficient number of the right kind of public schools 
in this city, a very large portion of these absentees from school 
would soon avail themselves of their privileges ; for generally, 
where such public schools of the right kind exist, the per cent, 
of absence is not more than fifteen or eighteen, for all causes. 
In this city, private schools, such as are fit for the training of 
children (and there are some wholly unfit) are quite beyond the 
reach of most of these absentees. 

The consequence of all this absenteeism is, that thousands of 
the children of our city are growing up in gross ignorance, or 
are receiving such an education in our streets as will fit them 
for using the bowie-knife and the revolver ; or to become their 
victims ; or, probably, the victims of a still worse enemy of our 



youth, the intoxicating cup ; and then to become residents in 
our penitentiary, our jai! and our almshouse. 

A very significant fact, with reference to the future demands 
for school accommodations in this city, observed by all the can- 
vassers, is, that there are about as many children under five 
years of age, as between five and eighteen ; so that after mak- 
ing proper deductions for the greater mortality of children un- 
der five, we may safely conclude that the next five years will 
very nearly double the number who ought to be in school. 

Again, of the probably more than five thousand families, 
many of the most respectable are without any children ; while 
a large portion of the rest are young and in moderate or very 
low circumstances, as to the means of living or educating their 
children ; thus illustrating the saying that " the abundance of 
children seems to be emphatically the blessing of the poor,," 
The great excess and disproportion of young families, in mo- 
derate circumstances, arises mainly from inducements held out 
for employment under government. Another fact, which shows 
the importance of increased educational facilities, has been ob- 
served in a great lack of intelligence in some of these families, 
which is by no means confined to foreigners. What teacher, 
private or public, properly imbued with the spirit of his mis- 
sion ; what parent, what friend of education ; what citizen who 
wishes to honor his citizenship, can look upon these facts and 
be an indifferent spectator ? 

The Committee have also had under consideration and ex- 
amination, the school-houses and school-rooms, as to their size, 
their location, their ventilation, and their general character. 

If the examination had been extended to the buildings and 
rooms for private schools, it is by no means certain that they 
would have had much advantage over those of the public schools. 
When we learn the fact that there are about eighty private 
schools, of all grades, in this city, we may well wonder where 
they are ; and what kind of school-rooms do they have. Your 
Committee have not felt at liberty to examine into the condi- 
tion of these schools as much as the public good requires ; for 



8 

we believe that every private school which calls upon the pub- 
lic for patronage, should be held as strictly responsible to the 
public for the kind of accommodation it affords for the health 
and comfort of its pupils, as any public school. 

As to the proper size of a school-room, there may be some 
difference of opinion. To determine the 'proper capacity of a 
school-room, it is evident that four points should always be con- 
sidered : 

1st. The average floor-space for the accommodation of each 
pupil. 

2d. The hight of the ceiling above the floor. 

2>d. The amount and conveniences for light. 

4th. The conveniences for ventilation. 

Many other things enter into the characteristics of a good 
school-room ; but the floor space should not be less than ten 
square feet for each pupil ; or, what is better, fifteen feet. The 
hight of the ceiling ought not to be less than eleven feet, and 
thirteen is better. 

We cannot say how much light would please others, but we 
think that every school-room should be so lighted as to give 
about the same amount of light as we enjoy in the open air 
under ordinary circumstances, when properly protected from 
the direct rays of the sun. 

The amount of air for each pupil, and the ventilation of the 
room, are perhaps of paramount importance. Not less than 
150 cubic feet of air should be allotted to each pupil, with a 
change every hour. But the ventilation should be so arranged 
as to create a flow, or change of pure and properly warmed air, 
so that (according to good judges,) each pupil may have five 
cubic feet of air per minute. 

Then the location of the building or room is of very great 
importance. It should always be healthy, pleasant, and as free 
as possible from every hind of annoyance. 

We have found, upon examination, that very few of the 
school buildings and rooms are the property of the city. As to 
their capacity for meeting the wants of the city, it may be said 



9 

that not more than 2400 pupils, the number reported by us as 
attending public schools, can be accommodated, even if all the 
schools were filled to the utmost limit fixed by the trustees ; so 
so that nearly one half of the children of school age, between 
five and eighteen, are necessarily deprived of the privileges of 
instruction; and that 11 G-10 per cent, of all betiveen five and 
eighteen are necessarily shut out from the public schools, while 
in some of our cities 78J per cent, of all children are actually 
in the public schools. 

By actual measurement, it has been ascertained, that eigh- 
teen of the public school rooms have a capacity of less than 150 
cubic feet of air for each pupil, the least amount necessary for 
health ; 19 rooms are less than 11 feet high ; 7 rooms contain 
less than 100 cubic feet of air for each pupil, while some have 
only from 60 to 70 feet, with a ceiling from 7J to 8| feet on 
an average. 

With few exceptions, the rooms are lighted without any re- 
ference to the amount or the direction of light. Very few, if 
any, have been provided with any proper means of ventilation. 

As to the location of the school rooms, necessity seems to 
have been the only rule, in most cases, rather than health, 
pleasantness, and freedom from annoyance. The trustees have 
been obliged to take such rooms as could be found, because they 
had no means to enable them to do otherwise. They have for 
tunately secured a few well lighted, dry, healthy, and pleasant 
rooms ; but many of them are in low, damp basements of 
churches, as unfit for health or pleasure as can well be imag- 
ined. In many cases two schools are conducted with separate 
exercises in the same room at the same time, because separate 
rooms cannot be found. In the 5th Ward there are two dou- 
ble schools, each having a recitation or class room attached, 
and one triple school with two class rooms. The outdoor ac- 
commodations are few and miserable. Only one school house 
has any other play-ground than the streets, or some small back 
yard. 



10 

On the whole,considering the funds at the disposal of the Trus- 
tees, the wonder rather is that they have done so much, than that 
they have done so little ; especially as their own labor is a gra- 
tuity. Only $25,000 are expended annually in paying the 
Wages of 40 teachers, the rent of school-houses, salaries of offi- 
cers, and all other expenses. With such limited means for so 
much work, no one can with justice lay any of the fault in ac- 
commodations at the door of the Trustees. 

Now if we consider the facts, that about one half of the pro- 
perty in the city belongs to the General Government, and is 
exempt from taxation ; that a very large portion of our popula- 
tion is transient and floating; that most of those citizens con- 
nected with the government (and the number is large) do not 
invest their property here, if they have any; and that so many 
children are destitute of suitable means for education, we may 
not wonder why there are no more and no better school-houses; 
but we may wonder why the General Government has not pro- 
vided for this destitution, <ind listened to the prayers of the 
people long ago. 

Already the taxes of this city are about as heavy as those of 
any other city ; and it can hardly be expected that those hav- 
ing taxable property, will consent to an increase of their taxes 
to provide the means for educating the children of those who 
are dependent upon the Government, unless they are forced 
to do so by the neglect of the Government. 

Those who carefully consider the facts set forth in this re- 
port, will readily see that there are many things necessary to 
make the public school system such as it should be, to meet the 
demands of our young and rapidly growing city. 

We might here suggest many things necessary, besides mo- 
ney, to bring about a better state of things ; yet pecuniary 
means are needed to begin and carry on the great work ; 
and other agencies are obviously needed to plan and perfect 
the work. These agencies we leave for those who may have 
the proper authority to provide them. 



11 

The facts we lay before the people, with such explanations 
and deductions as have seemed proper to us ; hoping that the 
results may more than meet our highest expectations. 

Z. RICHARDS, Chairman, 
S. L. LOOMIS, 
0. C. WIGHT, 
C. B. YOUNG, 
S. MERCHANT, 
H. A. BUDDINGTON, 
A. C. RICHARDS, 
J. E. THOMPSON, 
Committee of the Teachers' Association. 

F. s. WALSH, 
WM. P. YOUNG, 
WM. F. PRICE, 

Committee of the Board of Trustees Public Schools. 



12 



SCHEDULE A. 

The following table shows the whole number of children be- 
tween the ages of 5 and 18 ; the number and the per cent in 

SrW^V 11 P f ubll V nd ? no school > ™ each Ward of the city 
of Washington, December 18, 1857 : y 



No. of Ward. 



First. ... 
Second . . 
Third . . . 
Fourth . . 
Fifth.... 

Sixth 

Seventh . . . 






1267 

1551 

1770 

1852 

1293 

1034 

1930 



a In Priv'e Schools. In Pub Schools 



No. 



Total in city 10697 3228 



402 

584 

648 

734 

236 

168 

456 



Percent No. (Per 



32 

37! 

361 



3911 



18| 

16J 

23f 



3<V 



252 
245 
377 
317 

398 
292 
519 



2400 



cent 



In no School. 



20 

2i* 



17 2 

x '18 



3Q8 



28J 



27 



No. 



Percent 



613 

722 

745 

801 

659 

574 

952 



22* | 5069 



48 
46 s 

^ u 15 

42 



44& 



50- 



55° 



494 



47i 



PROCEEDINGS 

OF 



\t fttutaiiflnal ©arateiim 



Pursuant to a call previously made by a Committee of the 
Teachers' Association of this city, a Convention was opened at 
the Smithsonian Institution at 7 o'clock P. M., Dec. 17, 1857. 

The Rev. J. G. Binney, D. D., President of Columbian 
College, was chosen President of the Convention, and G. J. 
Abbot Secretary, ■ 

On motion it was resolved that the daily sessions be opened 
with prayer. 

Messrs. Z. Richards, R. Ricketts and 0. C. Wight were ap- 
pointed a committee to propose subjects for discussion. 

Mr. C. B. Young read the programme of arrangements and 
exercises adopted by the Association of Teachers. 

The President then introduced to the Convention Prof. Alex- 
ander Dimitry, late Superintendent of Education in Louisiana, 
who addressed the Convention upon " The relations of the past 
and the future to the present, with especial reference to the 
duties of parents and teachers to the young." At its close the 
thanks of the Convention were voted to the speaker for his able 
and interesting address. 

The subject proposed for discussion at 9 A. M., Dec. 18, 
was, " How far are teachers responsible for the moral education 
of their pupils? " Adjourned to 9 A. M., Dec. 18, 1857. 

Dec. 18, 1857. Convention met. During the temporary 
absence of the President, Mr. 0. C. Wight was chosen Presi- 
dent pro tern. The Secretary being obliged to be absent after 
reading the minutes, Mr. Z. Richards was chosen Secretary pro 
tempore. 

On motion of Mr. Z. Richards, Messrs. R. Ricketts, Secre- 
tary of the Board of Trustees of the Public Schools, Dr. S. L. 
Loomis, and Fred. Whyte were appointed a committee to wait 
upon the committees on the District of Columbia in the Senate 



14 

and House of Representatives, and invite their attendance 
upon the Convention during the reading of the Report and 
discussion upon the Educational Statistics of the city of Wash- 
ington. 

Here the discussion was opened upon the question " How far 
is the teacher responsible for the moral education of his pupils?" 

Mr. George B. Emerson, of Boston, gave the result of his 
long and successful experience in relation to moral teaching. 
The question was further discussed with much interest by- 
Messrs. Z. Richards, 0. C. Wight, and S. L. Loomis. 

Mr. Richards, Chairman of the Committee on the Educational 
Statistics of the city, read an abstract of his Report, showing 
the number of children in the city between the ages of 5 and 
18 to be 10,697 ; the number in private schools 3,228 ; the 
number in public schools 2,400 ; and in no school 5,069. 

After a brief discussion of the Report, it was laid upon the 
table, the hour having arrived for the delivery of the lecture 
of Richard M. Smith, Esq., of Alexandria, upon " Public Edu- 
cation, politically and socially considered" The lecture was 
highly approved, and several of its topics were discussed in a 
spirited and able manner by Messrs. G. B. Emerson, of Boston, 
Rev. Wm. D. Haley, of 111., Hon. H. Barnard, of Conn., and 
J. E. Thomson, C. B. Young, Z. Richards, of Washngton, and 
by Dr. Binney, the chairman. 

On motion of Hon. H. Barnard, the lecture was referred to 
the Committee of Arrangements for publication. 

Mr. Ricketts, Chairman of the Committee appointed to invite 
the District Committees in Congress to attend the session, re- 
ported that those Committees had accepted the invitation. 

The Report of the Committee on Statistics was again called 
up and read in part. After considerable discussion by various 
members, the Chairman of the Committee requested the privi- 
lege of writing out more fully those parts of the report which 
were made verbally, and in accordance with the suggestions 
offered by members of the Convention, which was granted. 

The Convention then adjourned to meet at 7 o'clock, P. M. 

7 o'clock. The Convention reassembled, and the Report on 
Statistics, being completed, was read again in full. 

The President then introduced Hon. H. Barnard, of Conn., 
who delivered a highly instructive lecture upon Reformatory 
Schools, with a special reference to the improvement of the 
Public Schools, of Washington, and the establishment of addi- 
tional schools for the several classes of children and youth, 
corresponding with institutions established in France, Germany, 
and Great Britain, for the care of young children, vagrants, 



15 

youthful criminals, and outcasts. After the lecture, Mr. Emer- 
son, of Boston, made some interesting remarks suggested by 
the lecture, and by his own recent visit to educational institu- 
tions in Europe. 

The discussions upon the Educational Statistics was resumed 
and carried on with much interest by Messrs. Z. Richards, S. 
L. Loomis, Rev. Mr. Haley, and others. 

On motion of Mr. Abbot, Mr. Barnard was requested to 
continue his Address upon Reformatory Schools, on Saturday 
morning, at 10 o'clock. 

Adjourned to 9 o'clock, Saturday, Dec. 19th. 

Dec. 19, 9 o'clock. The Convention was called to order 
by the President, Dr. Binney. 

The discussion of the Report on Educational Statistics was 
resumed and continued by Messrs. Loomis, Merchant, Wight, 
Young, and Rev, Mr. Haskell. 

On motion of Mr. Z. Richards the discussion was postponed 
until after the addresses by Hon. H. Barnard and G. B. Emer- 
son, Esq. Mr. Barnard then continued his address upon Refor- 
matory Schools in an exceedingly interesting manner for about 
half an hour, and then gave way for Geo. B. Emerson, Esq., of 
Boston, who addressed the Convention upon " the qualifications 
of the teacher;" and gave a description of some of the best 
educational establishments in Europe, and the mode of teaching 
therein. 

On motion of Mr. Z. Richards it was 

Resolved, That it be recommended to ail teachers, and to all 
persons who wish to get a thorough understanding of the history 
of education in this country and in Europe, and to prepare 
themselves to be efficient workers in the cause of education, to 
avail themselves of the "Journal of Education," edited by Hon. 
H. Barnard. 

The value and importance of this journal to every one in- 
terested in the educational progress of our country were fully 
set forth by Rev. Dr. Binney, President of Columbian College, 
and others. The work has been recommended by the " North 
American Review," as the highest authority in the United 
States as to systems tested abroad, or the improvements neces- 
sary at home ; and the "Westminster Review" has stated that 
England has nothing in the same field worthy of comparison 
with it. 

On motion, it was 

Resolved, That the thanks of this Convention be given to 



16 

Hon. H. Barnard, of Hartford, Conn ; and Geo. B. £mersofi ? . 
Esq., of Boston, for their highly instructive and interesting 
lectures, and for their generosity in coming from abroad to at- 
tend this Convention in so eminent and useiul a capacity with- 
out reward. 

Professor Henry, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 
addressed the Convention in a highly interesting manner Upon 
the importance of providing some suitable means for giving 
free instruction by oral lessons or lectures at night, to that class 
of clerks and apprentices in our city which has been forced to 
leave school from unavoidable circumstances, before they have 
been properly educated for a business life. Whereupon it was 

Resolved, That Professor Henry, in connection with other 
gentlemen, to be appointed by the Chair, be requested to pre- 
prepare a plan in accordance with his suggestions, for providing 
such means of instructions, and to take such steps as may be 
necessary to carry the plan into execution. 

In order to carry out more effectually the suggestions con- 
tained in the Report on Educational Statistics, prepared and 
read by Mr. Z. Richards, the following Resolutions were pro- 
posed and adopted after interesting remarks by several mem- 
bers. The Resolutions were offered by Messrs. S. L. Loomis, 
C. B. Young, and J. E. Thompson : 

Resolved) That this Convention deem it of the Utmost importance 
that a series of Educational meetings be held in the several wards of 
this city. 

Resolved, That this Convention recommend to the Trustees of the 
Public Schools, and the Teachers' Association of this city to devise 
some plan to carry out the above resolution ; and that all friends of 
education, and the public, are respectfully invited to co-operate. 

Resolved, That a committee be appointed at once to draft a memo- 
rial setting forth the facts elicited before this Convention, and to pro- 
cure the signatures of the citizens thereto for the purpose of present- 
ing it to Congress as speedily as possible. 

And be it further resolved, That the trustees of the public schools 
in this city are hereby cordially invited and requested to unite with 
this Convention in procuring the publication, in a documentary form, 
of the proceedings of this Convention and of the lectures delivered be- 
fore it, in conjunction with the above-named memorial, at the expense 
of the city government, by an appropriation to be made by the cor- 
porate authorities for this purpose, under the supervision of the com- 
mittee representing the interests of the District before Congress. 

On motion, the Chair appointed, for a committee to prepare and 
circulate said memorial, Dr. S. L. Loomis, R. Ricketts, and J. E. 
Thompson. 



17 

Resolutions of thanks were also tendered to the citizens of Washing- 
ton who had provided entertainment for those attending the Conven- 
tion from abroad, and also to the Regents of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion for their kindness in granting the use of the Hall for the use of 
the Convention. The Convention then adjourded sine die. 

J. G-. BINNEY, D. D., President. 

Gr. J. Abbot, Secretary. 



The following memorial was prepared by the Committee, nu 
merously signed by citizens and presented to Congress : 

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States, in Congress assembled : 

The undersigned, citizens of Washington, beg leave most respect- 
fully to call the attention of your honorable bodies to the present con- 
dition and future prospects of the Public Schools in our city. 

That the cause of public education demands the serious considera- 
tion of Congress, the following fa cts will show : 

FIRST — THE PRESENT SYSTEM. 

The existing system of public schools was established in 1845, and 
has done all that could be expected from it. 

There are now four districts, embracing thirty-two schools, em- 
ploying forty teachers, and giving instruction to two thousand four 
hundred children. 

Five school-houses are owned by the city, the remaining schools 
occupying basements of churches, and such other places as the trus- 
tees with their limited means can procure. 

SECOND — THE STATISTICS OP THE CENSUS OP 1857. 

A census of the children between the ages of five and eighteen has 
been recently taken by the authority of the city, and the following 
facts are obtained therefrom : 

1. The number of children between the .ages of five and eighteen, 
is ten thousand six hundred and ninety -seven. 

2. Three thousand two hundred and twenty-eight of this number 
are in private schools. 

3. Two thousand four hundred are in public schools. 

5. Five thousand and sixty-nine are in no school at all. 

5. The public schools cannot accommodate twenty-five per cent, of 
the number of children of the city. 

The simple statement of the above facts, carefully ascertained, 
sends its warning voice through all ranks of society, foretelling, with 
unerring ccrtaiaty, the black catalogue of crime which ignorance will 

8 



18 

surely bring on this city as the thousands of uneducated youth de- 
velop into manhood. 

THIRD — MEANS. 

From our own peculiar position and relation to the National Gov- 
ernment we are curtailed in our means. 

1. We have no commercial or manufacturing relations. More than 
three-fourths of the citizens are directly or indirectly dependent on 
government, and with the change of every administration there is a 
change of a large class of citizens, thereby destroying any permanent 
interest in our public schools. 

But a greater difficulty lies in the fact that not one-third of the 
property in the city is taxable. 

2. Again, a large class of citizens are not residents, and are conse- 
quently exempt from taxation. 

3. To secure proper accommodation for public schools by a tax on 
citizens and on all taxable property of every description, would make 
a tax many times larger than that levied for similar purposes in any 
other city or town in the United States. 

4. The security of persons and property, public and private, abso- 
lutely requires that something be done speedily. 

In view of the above facts, and of our utter inability to provide 
better means to promote public education, we most earnestly and re- 
spectfully appeal to your honorable bodies to aid us, by either mo- 
ney or lands, in securing such liberal provisions for the public school 
system of this District as is commensurate with that high grade of 
intelligence, respect for law, and love of order, which should charac- 
terize the inhabitants of the metropolis of this great nation. 
And in duty bound will ever pray. 

S. L. Loomis, j n ... „ 

K. Rtcketts, v , Committee f 

t^„. t 17 m ' ~„ V -Educational Convention. 



John B. Thompson 



^&&tt$# 0f Iwtel p. ifntit& t foif« s 



EDITOR OF THE ALEXANDRIA SENTINEL, 



Members of the Teachers' Convention — Gentlemen and La- 
dies : The importance of the subject which assembled you, has over- 
come the considerations that else had bid me be silent. 

To be indifferent to the subject of popular education, a man 
must first be blind; blind to the welfare of others, and blind to his 
own. In this, therefore, as in all matters of supreme importance, no 
one is at liberty to withhold any word which it may be supposed will 
aid in inculcating proper sentiments, and awaking a becoming zeal in 
the public mind. 

The effort which has been inaugurated for securing to Washington 
and the District of Columbia, a more enlarged, efficient and universal 
system of public education, is one which will receive the hearty sym- 
pathy of the whole republic, which has here its political metropolis, 
and invites hither the envoys of the world. In specially pledging 
that of the commonwealth, of which I am a citizen, I feel that I am 
guilty of no presumption. Virginia will joy to see the city which 
bears the name of her great son, the chosen abode of intelligence and 
learning and refinement, as distinguished among her sister cities as 
was Washington among men. 

Among the views which seem to me well calculated to stimulate the 
zeal of those on whom has fallen the chief labor of this salutary 
movement, and also to attract to their aid the cordial co-operation of 
all thoughtful persons, and the liberal support of the community, I 
have selected some considerations, chiefly general in their character, 
to which I ask your kind attention. The exact statistics of your 
schools, the character of your present educational system, the degree 
of its inadequacy, have been discussed and will be discussed, by the 
Professional Convention, whose sessions are not yet over. Leaving 
these topics to their determination, let us proceed to inquire into the 
considerations which interest the public in this movement for general 
education. 

There is, perhaps, no act of human beneficence, which can compare 
with that of bestowing an education on one who would otherwise re- 
main unlettered ; which rescues him from the walks of ignorance, 
strikes off its shackles, and opens for him the way to happiness and 
usefulness and fame. Mind is the distinguishing characteristic of our 
species. It is this which makes us men. Education does not origi- 
nate this thinking principle, but developes and strengthens it, and 



20 

trains it to judicious action. Its power and energy and efficiency thus 
receive so great an increase, that it is almost a creation. The man is 
elevated above his former self, andjfeels that he has been ennobled far 
beyond such rank as royalty could confer. 

But education increases the happiness, as well as the dignity of its 
subjects. It stores the mind with new ideas, each like a tree in tro- 
pic soil, which is ever gay with flowers, and bears perennial fruit. He 
who can, from the beginning, trace out the laws of association and 
suggestion in the human mind, may perhaps sum the ever-widening 
series of images and combinations and deductions, of which a single 
new idea will be the starting point ; but he who can do this, can also 
number the sands of the ocean, and tell how large a forest may spring 
from one acorn. 

Nor is there any sensation so pure and so thrilling as the birth of 
a new idea in the soul. What teacher has failed to catch the refined^ 
sympathy and glory in his profession ; when, presenting a new princi- 
ple to an intelligent youth, he perceives, by the sudden brightening 
of his eye, that the cloud is gone, and the truth is comprehended and 
made his own 1 It is a gleam from within. It is the sparkling of the 
soul. It is separate from .he beam of beauty, and lends even to its 
brightest flash, a higher and a purer charm. It tells of the joy 
the spirits feel that dwell in the Light Supernal. 

As no greater benefit can be conferred than the awakening of the 
soul to new conceptions, so no gratitude exceeds that which rises up 
as incense from its altars. What was the testimony of one of extra- 
ordinary intellect, who found many an adversary but not an equal, 
and who, to this day, is as much a marvel as a mystery ? Said the 
immortal Junius : " Grateful as I am, to the good Being, whose 
bounty has imparted to me this reasoning intellect, whatever it is, I 
hold myself proportionably indebted to him from whose enlightened 
understanding, another ray of knowledge communicates to mine. 
But neither should I think the most exalted faculties of the human 
mind, a gift worthy of Divinity, nor any assistance in the improve- 
ment of them, a subject of gratitude to my fellow creature, if I were 
not satisfied, that really to inform the understanding corrects and en- 
larges the heart." 

The increase and diffusion of knowledge is, then, a work in which 
philanthropy may well rejoice, and will reap a sure reward. Whether, 
then, her generous charities have sought out the individual objects of 
her sympathy, or whether her noble generosity has been manifested 
in the erection and endowment of institutions like this, may we not 
hope that every good deed of the past shall find many parallels in the 
future? And while, assembled in this Hall, we pay the tribute of 
our respect to him whose plilanthropy outreached the Atlantic, let us 
catch his spirit, and resolve that Smithson shall be imitated as well as 
praised. 

I am free to admit that deeds of charity are more within the sphere 
of individual than municipal action. There are other considerations, 



21 

however, included in the purpose of government, and involving mo- 
tives which, if not so ennobling as those we have been considering, are 
yet more controlling. I come now to speak of general education as 
a duty which the political community owes to its own safety, and to 
the happiness of the people aggregately and separately. 

The incompetency of rulers is among the greatest of national mis- 
fortunes. In the ancient days, Ulysses, stung with a sense of the 
disgrace which the weakness of his leader was about to entail on the 
hosts assembled before Troy, upbraided him in a burst of patriotic in- 
dignation : 

" Oh ! were thy sway the curse of meaner powers, 
And thou the shame of any host but ours!" 

And before that time, and from that time through all ages to the pre- 
sent, the welfare of a people has been regarded as closely dependent 
upon the wisdom of those who bear rule among them. Let us now 
apply this principle to our own country and people — our present con- 
cern is with them. 

In the United States, the people themselves exercise the sovereign 
authority. We are self-governed. If, then, we want a wise govern- 
ment, we must have an intelligent people. What would be thought 
of a King of England who should suffer the heir to his throne to grow 
up in ignorance, and unprepared for the position before him 1 Ours, 
too, is a hereditary sovereignity. The present generation is passing 
away, and the generation which already treads upon its heels, to- 
morrow shall divide the rule, and shall soon succeed to the full sway. 
Shall our successors come, untaught, to their grave duties ? The 
legacy left us by our fathers, is also a trust for posterity. We shall 
prove ourselves unworthy of the legacy and false to the trust, if we 
fail to provide for its future security so far as lies in our power. 

As a people, we have a national policy to determine, national in- 
terests to promote, a national character to maintain, and a position to 
sustain among the nations of the earth. Every instinct of patriotism 
and of self-interest bids us take a proud position, maintain a lofty 
character, adopt a sagacious, and just, and honorable policy. But 
wise and just decisions require a wise and virtuous people.* Every 
one is therefore interested in the education and improvement of the 
people in the same degree that his interests and hopes and honor are 
bound up in the welfare and reputation of the nationality to which he 
belongs. 

But we must also have laws to regulate the relations and inter- 
course of citizens with each other. These laws define our rights of 
person and of property ; and their justness and adequacy will be pro- 
portioned to the wisdom which ordains them. And more than this ; 
not only do the people through their chosen agents establish the laws 

* Not that all need be learned statesmen, but all should be able to decide 
with intelligence between the conflicting opinions and arguments of those 
who divide the public councils. 



22 

which determine individual rights, but still more promiscuously are 
they called upon to enforce those laws, and give them a practical 
value. The ignorance or want of virtue of a jury, or of a single jury- 
man, will defeat the wisest enactment, and pervert the forms of justice 
into the instrument of outrage. It thus appears that every citizen is 
dependent on the community to which he belongs, both for the recog- 
nition and the enforcement of his rights, of whatever kind. 

Is it, then, too much to say that the welfare of our whole people, 
and the welfare of each citizen, are both dependent on the intelligence 
and virtue of the whole community, and, to a degree, on the intelli- 
gence and virtue of each citizen 1 If, therefore, our government is to 
*be preserved from internal and external misfortune, and if it is to se- 
cure to the people that safety, and tranquillity, and happiness which 
are the ends of all government, our children must be prepared for the 
important functions which await them, by that education which at 
once " informs the understanding" and " corrects and enlarges the 
heart." 

The law of self-preservation demands this ; demands it of the gov- 
ernment, and demands it of the citizen. If we disregard its moni- 
tions, if we fail to supply the temple of Constitutional Liberty with 
those props and supports without which it cannot stand, we shall 
scarcely be less guilty than if we overthrew its foundation pillars, and 
devoted the sacred fabric to a more speedy, though not more certain 
and inglorious destruction. Foreseeing the evil day, let us be more 
wise and avert it ! 

But there are views of the subject which address our self-interest 
in a social, rather than a political aspect. Man was formed for sod* 
ety. He cannot live out of it. It is a necessity of his nature, in 
wisdom made so by the Power that made him. A rare idiosyncrasy, 
or some delusion or sorrow which has unbalanced his mind, may occa- 
sionally drive out a person from his fellows, and make him a hermit ; 
but to our race at large, a habitation "in the midst of alarms" is 
better than solitude. 

A man is not only unable to withdraw himself from society, — he 
cannot remain in its besom and isolate himself from its influence. He 
is not a mere gregarious, but a social being. His innate, fraternal 
feelings may be repressed ; his generous emotions may be smothered ; 
ho may become very selfish, and his character very detestable ; but 
the man does not live whose soul is wholly dead to the sympathies 
that link him to his kind. The chords may long have been silent, 
and many of them unstrung : yet if some master hand shall sweep 
them, they shall tremble under the touch ; and the heaving bosom, 
and the glistening eye, shall show that the fountain of feeling has 
not been dried up. No person is wholly unaffected, either for good 
or for evil, by the opinions which prevail around him ; nor can any 
one disconnect his personal, and particularly his family interests, 
from those of the people among whom he has his home. His childrei 
must have associates ; and they begin to learn before they begin to 



23 

read, and learn faster from their companions than from books. How 
many a self-made millionaire lias waked from his dream of gold to 
find his son proficient only in the art of the spendthrift, and eager to 
scatter what he had toiled to gain ! Hoy/ many a clergyman, too 
exclusively devoted to his charge, has been reminded of his fault by 
discovering that his children were following other teachings ! 

All persons, but especially the young, are much affected, while 
very many are absolutely controlled, by the maxims, the fashions, the 
manners, the virtues and vices, the opinions, and the sentiments pre- 
valent in the community. It is almost impossible to escape the all- 
pervading influence. Even literature, if we fly to it for relief, will 
prove the mere reflection of the tone and temper of the times. A 
depraved moral taste there finds its representation in the details of a 
Cunningham trial ; an unrefined and shallow wit finds utterance 
through " Editor's Drawers ;" a frivolous mind finds appropriate en- 
tertainment in grotesque pictures, and the trashy gossip prepared as 
u Food for the million." 

If, then, the standard of morals, and intelligence, and taste among 
the people, be low, the effect upon each citizen will be unhappy ; if, 
on the contrary, it is pure and elevated, it stimulates the growth of 
individual excellence, and this in turn reacts on the general standard, 
and the reciprocal influence continues to the increase of both public 
and private virtue. It thus appears that every man has a practical, 
personal interest in this public standard. He is interested for him- 
self, and should be still more deeply concerned for his children. 

The considerations mentioned derive a peculiar force from the na- 
ture of our institutions. There is no nobler human ambition than to 
guide the affairs of state with wisdom and renown. It is a distinc- 
tion that will always be prized in this country, where distinctions are 
so few. But those who pursue fame through this path, will find that 
" before honor is humility." The candidate must make his stated 
obeisances to the people ; and in order, to win their applause, he too 
often flatters their foibles, and shares their vices. Hence the very 
citizens who, from their gifts and learning, we should expect to ele- 
vate the standard of excellence, themselves take tone where they 
should give it, and bow to the vulgar test. To save even those who 
stand in our high places, we must elevate such as are in the humblest 
walks of citizenship. 

It thus appears that the general instruction of the people is an 
office of exalted philanthropy in the case of many, and is politically 
and socially deeply interesting to all. Let us consider Jsome of the 
consequences of neglecting this duty. 

The path of wisdom and of duty is hedged in with monitory pains. 
He who wanders from the way, falls amid sufferings. Each error 
embraced, each duty neglected, is followed by its appropriate sorrow. 
To the goodness of our Maker are we indebted for this. The nerves 
of sensation which cover the surface of the body, expose us indeed 
to pain, but only to warn us of some danger. So the retribution 



24 

which attends or follows a neglected duty, is designed to Bring us 
to its performance. In short, by a universal law of the Creator, 
Duty and Safety are bound up together, and man cannot separate 
them. If we disregard any law of our physical system, sickness is 
at hand with its hundred agonies, to scourge, that it may reform us. 
If we are idle or improvident or wasteful, poverty quickly hastens 
up with its fetters and its privations. So of our social duties. Soci- 
ety may not neglect the demands of philanthrophy, and escape. It 
may not move on unmindful of its unfortunate and least favored ones 
and find no rebuke. The consequences stand ready to follow the 
delinquency. 

The fire which kindles in the combustible hovel where some neg- 
lected widow shivers and starves, may spread to the palaces of the 
rich and wrap a city in flames. Men and women and children are 
allowed to pine in destitution, or grovel in vice and filth ; a disease 
breaks out among them, and death claims them by scores. The citi- 
zens who live in comfort and sobriety are calmed by the assurance 
that the victims are all confined to " a certain class." But the dis- 
ease riots and festers and strengthens and grows in virulence, until it 
becomes a malignant pestilence. It now stalks into the mansions of 
wealth, and lays- the proud man low. It enters the habitations of the 
virtuous and the provident, and turns them into houses of mourning. 
Universal gloom now broods over the community. All may be traced 
to the first neglect. If Norfolk had had no Barry's Row, where pesti- 
lence might feed till ready for the slaughter, Norfolk's graveyards might 
not now contain, in melancholy mounds, the undistinguished dust of 
her choicest citizens, buried there in heaps like the slain of a battle 
field. So too, with the cholera. In its first visit to a country, it preys 
on the neglected ones. We fail to take the warning. It gathers 
strength, and mounts and rises, until kings and presidents are con- 
fronted in their palaces, and taught how frail their hold on life. 

And thus it is in the world of morals. Those who live in ignorance 
and lawlessness and brutality, live not to themselves alone. Vice not 
merely grovels among them ; it intrenches itself there, and stands 
ready to entrap the unwary, and to tempt the weak : and the evil 
influence ' strengthens as it feeds, and spreads and rises as it 
strengthens, until all classes of society are exposed to the taint. 

Have we no illustrations of this in the condition of our society ? 
Alas ! for the answer, for we are constrained to see what the passing 
day unfolds. Look at our great cities,, where influences, whether for 
evil or for good, are most concentrated ; a moral pestilence prevails 
in many, widespread and alarming. Shall I point to the idle, reck- 
less spirits, who have never even dreamed of the privations under 
which many a poor widow patiently pines, yet who come in bands of 
ten thousand, with bludgeons in their hands, to demand the bread for 
which they are unwilling to toil ? Shall I tell you of a city that must 
dress in arms when she would cast a vote 1 Need I recall the tragic 
scenes of which your own streets, and the present year, has been 
witnesses ? 



25 

But while these grave disorders excite our concern, on every hand 
we are startled by individual crime ; crime by night and by day, in 
alleys and in avenues, among the low and among the high. It is not 
confined to the outcasts of society • the bad leaven has pervaded the 
lump ; the evil influence has ascended, through the different strata of 
society and all classes ; though in different degrees, have caught the 
infection. 

A venerable judge of this city, while communing with his Grand 
Jury within the present month, sketched the following truthful but 
fearful picture of the times : 

" Crime is of more frequent occurrence than formerly ; it is marked 
by deeper atrocity, and pervades our whole country. A spirit of in- 
subordination seems to have been born of the blessings which surround 
us, and to have put on every form of irregularity and vice, from the 
drunken shout of the reveler to the red hand of the murderer. * * 

" The worst symptom of the moral future of the United States is 
the boldness with which the most atrocious offences are perpetrated. 
In times gone by, crime shrouded itself in darkness and hid its face 
from the eye of observation ; then, a tribute of respect was paid to 
virtuous conduct by the concealment which was sought ; but now, the 
dread with which the penalties of the law were wont to be considered 
is apparently laid aside, and impunity is looked for in the violence of 
the ruffian. Crimes are often committed of late by men in a body, 
who elude detection sometimes because they cannot be identified ; and 
when arrested, frequently escape conviction, it is feared by the most 
unprincipled means." 

These words are truly sad ; but we are constrained to admit that 
society is deeply diseased ; vice commands deference from power ; it 
receives homage from those who would lead our politics. The pesti- 
lence is spreading among the people ; who shall be the Aaron to stand 
between the living and the dead, and what shall be his offering, that 
the plague be stayed ? 

The evils which have overtaken us prove that we have been neglect- 
ful of our duty ; they convict us of a fault, and warn us to amend. 
Shall we not heed the lesson ? Shall we not take the warning ? 

The seats of moral infection must be purified ; and education is the 
great disinfectant. Light must drive back darkness ; and education 
is the great dispenser of light. Virtue must resume the offensive, 
and employ all her aids and agencies ; and education is her most pow 
erful weapon. The ground which has been lost, must be regained, 
and new conquests must be made. Let every citizen enlist in the holy 
crusade against ignorance and vice ! Let the standard of public and 
private excellence be exalted high, and let " General Education" 
be inscribed upon its folds. Education not only stores the mind with 
wholesome and valuable truth, and places in the hand the key of 
knowledge, but it expands and liberalizes the intellect, and opens it 
to virtuous influences from without, and provides a way of access. 
Does the patriot, the philanthropist, the moralist, or the divine, wish 
4 



26 

to advise the people for their good ? Let them be educated, and 
millions will ponder over his ideas who shall never see his face : and 
the good seed will also fall into prepared ground. Educate the peo- 
ple, or the very word of Life, which men are bid to search, will be a 
sealed book. Education is the handmaid of religion and virtue, and 
these are at the foundation of just government. 

When Washington had done his work, and was turning from his 
fame to seek the shades of Vernon, there to meditate and await his 
change, he paused to bid his countrymen adieu. His words of wisdom 
and of friendly counsel, have come down to us. These sentences are 
among them : 

' " Of all the depositions and habits which lead to politieal prosper- 
ity, religion and morality are inseparable supports. The mere politi- 
cian, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and cherish them. 
A volume could not trace all their connections with private and pub- 
lic felicity. Let it be simply asked, where is the security for proper- 
ty, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert 
the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of jus- 
tice ?" And then, as if considering the connection too obvious to 
need elucidation, he added : " Promote then, as an object of primary 
importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In 
proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public 
opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened." To 
these words of Washington, as to the necessity of general education, 
I shall add no more of mine. 

Of the best system for securing the general education of our youth, 
and of the most scientific modes, and the most important topips of in- 
struction, I propose to speak only in general terms. The adjustment 
of a plan is matter for patient inquiry and consideration. Whether 
schools, free to every one, shall be provided for government, and sup- 
ported out of a common treasury, or whether they shall be established 
and maintained by a combination of public contributions with private 
means, the great point will be gained if the provision be ample, and 
suited to the condition of all. Let the doors of the school-rooms be 
opened under circumstances which will invite them to enter. Whe- 
ther parents, who are in competence, pay taxes or tuition fees, is not 
of much consequence. And as the children crowd the halls, let no 
false and cruel economy provide teachers so few that they will be 
like the missionaries among the Chinese. This is a prevalent and 
most serious mistake in nearly all free schools, and subtracts largely 
from the praise to which they would otherwise be entitled. 

As to the course of instruction, permit me to say, it should embrace 
a thorough drilling in the strictly primary branches. I fear we are 
losing ground in this respect. It is my own observation, and it is the 
testimony of teachers of high-schools, with whom I have conversed. 
Pupils come to them not so well prepared as formerly. Teachers of 
primary schools are better educated than in earlier times, but that 
very fact is almost a disadvantage, for it is a snare. It tempts them 



27 

f. 

prematui*ely to advance the children to higher and more agreeable 
studies so that we have " philosophers" in pinafores, who scarce can 
spell their names. They fall into a common error of latter day teach- 
ing ; that of resting too exclusively on student's understanding what 
is assigned him to study, and attaching too little importance to his 
becoming familiar with it. How many a foundation principle is re- 
called, in all its exactness and value, by the form of words in which 
it had been committed to the memory ? How many a one is dismissed 
for uncertainty, and forever lost, with the whole fabric of corallaries 
and suggestions that repose upon it ; because, when studied, it was 
deemed sufficient simply to understand it ? Jewels demand their set- 
tings and their caskets. The leading ideas and principles of know- 
ledge should be enshrined in exact and graceful form of words. 

But especially is this familiar knowledge necessary in the 
strictly primary studies. It will avail a child in " Addition " 
very little to know why he " puts down" one figure and " car- 
ries" another, unless he can run up his columns with ease and 
accuracy ; and he should practice until he can do so- He would 
do better to pass on without the understanding, than without the fa- 
miliarity. So, too, the multiplication table. So, too, the alphabet, a 
person may understand that, and yet spell coffee with a K. He may 
understand how to read, yet if he has to blunder and spell his way 
through a sentence, he will scarcely catch its meaning. But I need 
not farther illustrate. These primary studies are, so to speak, the 
tools of the student's trade. He must learn to handle them well, if he 
would use them with comfort or advantage. The person whose pen- 
manship is a labored scrawl, will not write when he can avoid it. The 
reader who has to toil through a sentence and then wonder after its 
import, will soon cease to read at all. But if he reads, without con- 
scious effort, and takes in words at a glance, he reads with pleasure. 
Then the printed page speaks to him, and his undivided mind is busy 
with the ideas of the author. He may choose among earth's sages, 
and at their feet may listen to their teachings, undisturbed by the 
marvelous machinery which brings them to his presence. 

A word as to the subsequent teachings. These should embrace 
the information necessary to the offices of good citizenship. The du- 
ties of jurors, the obligations of witnesses, the nature of oaths, should 
be carefully taught. This is not done in the courts, and save a brief 
charge to juries, is not attempted, except in case of a witness of very 
feeble mind or of tender years. And yet it is information which the 
humblest citizen may need for his guidance, and on his possessing 
which, the property, reputation, or life of the best man may depend. 
But how many there are who do not understand these things ! How 
few there are that do. How few even of the number who administer 
the sacred oath, understand that when they pronounce the words, 
"So, help you Grod !" to a juror or a witness, they adjure him by all 
his hopes of Heaven's favor, to the discharge of his engagement ; mak- 
ing him ask God's help only on condition of his compliance, and for- 



28 

ever renouncing it if he fail. " So, help me God !" It is indeed a 
fearful vow, and no wonder that so many decline to take it. But it 
is often administered and taken with a smile, and carries with it but 
little of its power, because so little understood. 

Let the nature of our government be also studied ; its leading out- 
lines explained. Let our youths comprehend that our fathers reversed 
the maxims of the old world, where power is claimed as belonging by 
Divine Right, to government, whence privileges must descend to the 
people ; and that they asserted power for the people, and declared 
government to be their agent, and Presidents and Senators to be their 
servants. There the people are " subjects;" here, they are " sove- 
reigns." Let, too, the duty of voters be well understood. Make all 
our youth know that patriotism and duty and the theory of our gov- 
ernment require, that a vote be given intelligently and consciencious- 
ly, and after such investigation as may be given to whatever quesiion 
may be in issue. 

These principles and this knowledge thoroughly impressed on the 
minds of all our youths ; who can estimate the public advantage 1 
Who can tell how much the administration of justice would be im- 
proved, the purity of our government promoted 1 

Nor should the Bible be left to the teachings of the pulpit and the 
Sabbath alone. Its great truths lie at the foundation of all morality; 
its eternal retributions are the sanctions of our judicial oaths ; it en- 
joins obedience to law, and all the practices of good citizenship ; it 
prescribes the kindly charities, the forbearing love, the gentle man- 
ners, which hallow and adorn society, and which would make even a 
moral wilderness rejoice ; its mission is to every man, and it presents 
influences which if yielded to, will transform one who is the pest or 
the terror of a community, into its ornament and benefactor ; it en- 
forces its appeals by considerations far beyond any motives which man 
can supply. The Bible then should be in all our schools, either in 
full volume, or what would probably be better still, in the form of 
appropriate selections. 

The instructions to which I have referred, are essential elements of 
the universal education requisite for our people. But it should by 
no means stop here. Geography, history, the structure of our langu- 
age the elements of the natural sciences and of mathematics, should be 
placed within the reach of all. 

Above these there should be a liberal system of high schools and 
colleges for advanced studies, and for " intermeddling with all know- 
ledge." Into these the most worthy and promising from the lower 
schools should be admitted. Their operation will be most happy in 
elevating the standard of learning and refinement. Indeed, they will 
be virtually essential. Mere primary education prepares a man for 
usefulness, and for his graver duties ; but it leaves him coarse and 
rude ; a step farther, and he becomes conceited and dogmatical ; the 
sippings which he has obtained from the great fountain of knowledge, 
are « the shallow draughts" that « intoxicate the brain." In this con- 



29 

dition he is skeptical of what is old or established, and credulous as 
to new theories ; a prey to isms. He is greatly inclined to become a 
reformer, and set the world to rights ; he is simply a destructive ; 
would pull down without the ability to reconstruct. 

This degree of education should never be allowed to give tone to 
society. It would expose it to many dangers. Here, however, com- 
mences the healtby office of the high schools^and.colleges. Repre- 
sentatives from all the schools, and from every neighborhood, and 
family connection, come up to obtain juster and more sober views. 
The effect is to chasten their impulses, to liberalize their judgments, 
to refine their sentiments, to improve their tastes, to enlarge their con- 
ceptions, and to elevate their ideas of what is excellent and good. 
They go back to the associates from whom they parted at the lower 
schools, and they go with the prestige of superior learning and posi- 
tion. Their testimony will be heard, and it will be this : " We have 
learned of many wonderful things we had not known before ; many 
things to which our eyes were holden : we have been looking through 
a better telescope than that which we used together. But although 
myriads of new stars shine on our view, faint gleams also reached us 
which told of ten thousand myriads more, and whispered of countless 
myriads still, that stud the great illimitable Beyond. We have been 
following where the wise ones of earth have trod and marked the way, 
and we have toiled to comprehend what they discovered and unfolded. 
But when we reached our utmost eminence and farthest verge,where the 
path grows difficult and the travellers are few ; far in the distance we 
saw one stand where rainbows shone, and orbs and systems wheeled, 
and numbers displayed their powers, and nature sung her harmonies, 
and revealed her laws. We learned his name was Newton ; and we 
heard him say : * I do not know what I may appear to the world, but 
to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea- 
shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble, 
or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay 
all undiscovered before me.' " By such testimony as this, will the 
higher institutions of learning tend to repress the dangerous conceit 
of mere pretence, and establish an elevated standard of learning and 
refinement and taste ; men of parts and acquirements will be duly 
honored and emulated ; the teachings of wisdom will be venerated ; 
and the sum of the popular intelligence will continually increase. 

If the results I have named be important to the community and to 
each citizen ; if the means to which I have refered be necessary to 
the securing of them, where shall the movement commence that shall 
establish the agencies and accomplish the ends ? Good ever comes 
from above ; evil from beneath. If society is to be improved and 
educated and refined, the renovating influence must come from those 
who are in the advance in virtue and education and refinement. The 
evil influence which ascends from those who grovel in vice and igno- 
rance, must be opposed and driven back by the purifying influence 
operating from above. The work is one in which every man has his 



30 

part to perform. Some may contribute their means, some personal 
effort, some may do both. The work is one of benevolence, and has 
its reward as such. It is a work of duty whose performance is bound 
up with our interests, and whose neglect will be followed by an aggra- 
vation of present penalties. It appeals to our better nature, to our 
consciences, our hopes and our fears. Let not considerations so 
varied and so momentous, address us in vain. And as the diamond, 
in its natural state rough and undistinguishable from the vulgar peb- 
ble by common eye, awakes to beauty and to splendor under the hand 
of the lapidary, so may the instructions of the teacher remove the 
shroud which conceals some brilliant genius, take off the seals from 
some Milton's lips, open the door through which some great statesman 
shall enter on the stage to rule his country for his country's good, or 
send out some mighty orator with sweet persuasion in his words, or 
speech like a naming sword, to move men to their duty. To be the 
usher of such fame, itself is fame. And ye teachers, ye unseen 
workers of society, deem not yourselves unhonored or forgotten ! 
The sight of your school-building, the sound of your bell, the school- 
boy with his satchel, as he hies to meet you, or leisurely wanders 
home, his day's work over,— these are the perpetual remembrancers 
which cause the good continually to praise you. And the youths who 
throng around you, shall bear away with them that undying gratitude 
and affection which Junius expressed in words, and which great men 
of the earth, in the maturity of age and the ripeness of their fame, 
have illustrated by annual visits to the humble instructors of their 
youth, to pay the homage of their respect and thanks. Though your 
path leads not to the noisy arena of public fame : though listening 
Senates may not hang upon your words, nor shifting audiences ap- 
plaud you, yet you have a noble sphere of duty. 'Tis you that kin- 
dle the intellect, others but fan the flame. Yours is the first and 
purest glory. 

To the citizens of this District, and of this city, I appeal to lead 
thevaii in this noble cause. It is here the nations of the earth are 
invited to audience. It is hither that the Commonwealths and the 
people of this great Republic send up their chosen citizens to conduct 
grave debate m legislative halls. Here, surrounded by his counsel- ■ 
lors, resides the Executive head, who wields the aggregate power of 
this mighty confederation. Washington is the centre of political in- 
telligence and power, with their attendant social distinction. 

Shall the fixed resident population of such a city and community, 
prove a reproach to such associations ? Shall this city of libraries and 
lecture-rooms, of museums and galleries of art ; a city in which noble 
triumphs of architectural skill and beauty crown each eminence and 
front each avenue, and taste and learning invite to constant audi- 
ence,— be to any extent the habitation of ignorance ? Shall untaught 
men and women walk in the shadow of the Smithsonian Institution, 
and ask the visitor, it may be from afar, what means this pile ? them- 
selves as unlettered as the Egyptians who dwell at the foot of the 



31 

pyramids, or the lazzaroni who burrow amid the majestic ruins of Rome, 
Let it not be. The Monument of Washington, whose shaft has ceased 
to rise ere half its proud height was gained, and whose base stands 
rude and unadorned, will be an emblem of the city of Washington, if 
to the many advantages you possess, and the progress you have made, 
you add not the crowning and sustaining glory of universal education. 
Ignorance may be tolerated in mountain dells, where the forest is 
almost unbroken, and where the deer lies down in peace, but not in a 
community circumstanced like this. Let the people and the munici- 
pal authority be wise in council, and liberal in action. And may I 
not add that the government which paves and lights your streets, 
would show a liberality fully as grateful, and still more laudable and 
beneficial, if it would smooth and widen the avenue to learning, and 
aid in making refined men and women of your boys and girls. Con- 
tributions so bestowed, will contribute more to your good order than 
standing armies, and will be worthy alike of the wisdom of our federal 
assembly and the genius of our institutions. 



OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 



Mr. Emerson spoke of the common schools, meaning by that 
expression schools for the education of children of all classes, which 
might be made, and which should be made " good enough for the 
best and cheap enough for the poorest." 

He showed that the common schools are necessarily the basis of 
all the other institutions of learning, and that they were now far 
from being such a basis as those other institutions ought to rest upon. 
Many men felt an interest in the colleges and higher academies, 
and were willing to make any exertion for their elevation, but were 
indifferent to the condition of the lower schools ; but it was a fatal 
mistake to suppose that the former could be elevated without pre- 
viously elevating the condition of the common schools. 

Ask the professors in any of the colleges, in the east' or the west, 
the north or the south, what is the great obstacle to the highest tone of 
scholarship in their colleges, and they will all answer that the most 
important one is the low and inadequate preparation with which the 
pupils are offered to them. Ask the masters of the high schools 
and academies what is the reason why they do not send their pupils 
to the colleges better prepared, and they will answer that a principal 
reason is the wretched state of preparation with which they come 
from the lower schools. 

The colleges cannot rise to the highest possible condition of effi- 
ciency, while the academies are so low ; those cannot rise to their 



32 

proper elevation while the common schools are so low. The common 
schools cannot properly fulfill their necessary relation to the higher 
institutions till the instruction and discipline given in them are far 
better and far higher than they now are. Yet, important as is 
the relation of the common schools to these higher institutions, and 
indispensable as is their elevation to the best possible condition of 
those institutions, there are other relations of the common schools of 
unspeakably greater importance. Of all those who go through the 
common schools, very few mount up to the academies and colleges. 
The school education of the great majority of all the inhabitants of 
this country terminates at the common school. 

What vast importance does this give to the character of the teach- 
ers of the common schools. For, of course, the only way in which 
the common schools can be elevated is by the elevation of their teach- 
ers in knowedge, capacity, intelligence, and fitness to teach and to 
influence. 

The first and most important question then that can be asked in 
reference to education in every part of the country is, What can be 
done to elevate the whole character of the teachers of the common 
schools ? 

Mr. Emerson spoke of the practical answer which has been given 
to this question in some of the states in this country, and in several 
of the most advanced countries in Europe. 

They have established institutions for the special instruction of 
teachers in the common schools. But in many parts of this country 
this has not yet been done, and cannot yet be done ; and in no part 
has it been done on so large a scale as to reach all the schools. In 
nearly every town and village in the whole country the question still 
addresses itself to individuals — to all those who feel an interest in 
the best welfare of their fellow men — what can be done to elevate 
the condition of the common schools ? What can I do to build up 
this common school nearest me, to which my neighbor's children and 
my own children are to go % where they are to get the only school edu- 
cation they will ever get anywhere 1 

In every town and village in New England where the state of educa- 
tion has been carefully investigated, the condition of the common schools 
is found to depend, in a remarkable degree, upon the answer which 
one or a few public spirited men have given to these questions. 
Wherever one or two have said, and said resolutely, I will take care 
that my children, and my neighbor's children, shall have a good 
school to go to, those children have had a good school to go to. 

The course is a simple one ; but one which requires resolution, 
vigilance, foresight, perseverance, and great patience, to pursue. A 
good school-house, well situated, well furnished, well ventilated, and 
well warmed, has usually, sooner or later, been considered an impor- 
tant and an essential thing. But the first and most indispensable, 
that without which everything else is useless, is a good teacher. 
This is the hardest thing to find, but it commonly can be found by 



33 

one who is resolved to have none but a good teacher ; at any rate, 
none but the very best that is to be found. 

Few things are more respectable, few that command admiration 
more, than a man who resolves, and keeps his resolution, — "These 
children that God has given me, more precious than anything else 
under heaven, shall never, so far as depends on me, receive any but 
the best instruction, — shall never be committed to the charge of any 
one who will not lead them onwards and upwards, — shall never be 
surrounded by any but healthy and ennobling influences." 

In the execution of his high purpose such a man will have to spend 
much time ; he will have to counsel with many persons, make many 
inquiries, and persevere amidst many discouragements. Everything 
which relates to a school will occupy his attention. But the princi- 
pal thing, that to which he will devote his chief energies, must be the 
selection of a teacher. 

What ought the teacher to be, to satisfy him, to come up to his 
high standard 1 Mr. Emerson would first say what he must not be. 

He must not be that low-spirited creature who knows himself unfit 
for every other profession, and is too lazy to work, but not ashamed to 
beg for the place of the tyrant of childhood. 

He must not be the incompetent wretch who has failed in every 
other calling and turns to school-keeping because he thinks that any 
body is fit to teach — even he will be able to keep school. 

He must not be that poor creature who, gifted perhaps in other 
respects, is infirm of purpose, unwilling to make the exertion necessa- 
ry to accomplish any noble end, but is content to sit down and let 
things take their own course. In one word, he must not be an indo- 
lent man. For a faithful teacher has a work to do which would tax 
the best energies of the best man, and give him diligent occupation 
through all the hours of the longest day. The energetic teacher 
daily performs a labor compared with which the usual labor of the 
agriculturist or the mechanic is recreation. 

He must not be a sensualist, willing to wallow in the slough of low 
self-indulgence. How could such a man teach the great lesson of 
self-control — one of the most beautiful lessons that an ingenuous 
child has to learn ? 

He must not be a selfish man. For in the heart of the selfish man 
there is no chord responsive to the delicate and manly impulses of a 
noble spirited boy ; much less is there the capacity to call out and 
inform all the high and generous aspirations of a lofty and disinter- 
ested character. 

He must not be a mean and cowardly spirit, afraid to think what he 
knows to be true, or declare what he feels to be right. On the con- 
trary, he must be a gentleman, in manners, language and deportment ; 
such a man as a gentleman would be glad to have at his table, and 
whose example he would point out for the imitation of his son. To say 
that he must be a gentleman, is it not equivalent to saying, he must 
5 



Lof Q 



34 

not be a lounger at taverns, fond of low company and low pleas- 
ures, a drinker, a brawler, noisy, boastful, scoffing, impudent 1 

He must not be profane. On the entrance to a common school 
should, invisibly, be written, The fear op the Lord is the begin- 
ning op wisdom ; and the profane man deceives himself if he imag- 
ines that he fears God. 

A sensible man cannot well avoid forming opinions as to politics ; 
but a teacher should not be violent in the expression of his opinions, 
lest he offend those from whom he is obliged to differ. So he should 
he a sincerely religious man ; bnt he should not be so much of a bigot 
as to think those fatally wrong who happen to differ from him on theo- 
logical opinions. 

So much for what the master of the common school should not be ; 
and of necessity there is implied, in what he should not be, much of 
what he should be. 

But he should also be ready to teach, — apt to teach and fond of 
teaching. This is doubtless in a great measure a natural gift, or a 
consequence of a special mental constitution of the individual. But it 
is of great importance. In any pursuit a man must have consummate 
ability to do well what he dislikes to do.. But more especially, 
perhaps, is this true of teaching. An individual who has a natural 
aptness to teach, and is fond of teaching, finds himself in a pleasant 
and delightful occupation, while, without this natural adaptedness, he 
would find it a hopeless, cheerless, laborious drudgery. 

He should be a lover of children. Otherwise he will find it irk- 
some to be surrounded by them, hard to have patience with them, and 
almost impossible heartily to sympathise with them. 

He should be a lover of study, both in books, and, if possible, in 
the great world of natural objects by which we are surrounded. These 
are sources from which he must continually draw. 

He ought, of course, to be thoroughly acquainted with the branches 
he is expected to teach, a point easily ascertained by an examination 
in which written answers should be required to the questions asked. 

A qualification scarcely less desirable is a desire for farther attain- 
ments. How can he be expected to urge children on to higher and 
higher acquisition who sits down contented with a low standard of at- 
tainment himself ? 

He onght also, equally of course, to have a talent for government 
and methodical discipline. This is usually, but not always, an attend- 
ant upon aptness to teach. It can be ascertained with certainty only 
by trial. Not less important is a habit of method, or at least the 
talent. 

Such, said Mr. Emerson, are some of the qualifications essential to 
a successful teacher, and which the friend of the common school will 
insist upon. And it is not easy to estimate the amount of good which 
can be done in a town or village by such a friend, if resolute and de- 
termined in the cause of education. 

But however great the good which may be done by the friends 



35 

duceation, the great work of raising the teacher's calling to the place 
it ought to have among liberal pursuits, must be done by the teacher 
himself. He.only can make the teacher what he should be ; he only 
can deserve the reward which will be surely paid when the desert is 
known and acknowledged, To you, then, teachers, I would turn with 
some words of encouragement and promise and exhortation. 

No man has so many and so high motives to lead him to make the 
most of himself, to elevate his character, to improve to the utmost 
his faculties, and to make the highest attainments in his power, as the 
teacher. Others advance themselves by their exertions ; they attain 
a name and a place for themselves. The teacher grows strong and 
capable, wise and learned, not only for himself, but for all those who 
depend on him ; and this not only in the reflected benefits which 
come upon the friends of every successful man, but directly. Every 
attainment gives him new power for the good of his pupils ; his strength 
makes them strong; his capacities enable him to enlarge their capa- 
cities *, his learning is continually communicating itself to them. 
Every faculty he cultivates gives him new power to awaken a corres- 
ponding faculty in them. 

Not only are the motives more numerous ; they are higher. Yielded 
to, acted on, — -and they make him a nobler being. We can conceive of 
an evil spirit prominent in knowledge, seeking it because it is power ; 
making himself wise and capable and strong for his own selfish ends. 
But the being who seeks for knowledge that he may impart it to 
others, who grows strong that he may raise others, and wise and capa- 
ble that he may make others better and happier, must continually be 
ascending on that path at the end of which is the In6nite Giver of 
good. Knowledge is sweet ; the solitary student of literature or of 
abstract science may revel in the pleasure ;the naturalist who sits down 
in the woods to study the structure of a moss or of a butterfly, ha3 
a high and pure enjoyment. Is he not reading the thoughts of God ? 
But he who studies the laws of the Creator, as shown in the structure 
of the things He has made, in order that he may teach those laws, 
and obedience to those laws to God's children, is not he also becoming 
one of the children of God ? 

But, it will be said, for the attainment of much knowledge, 
.we must have leisure and beoks. Not much leisure, I answer, nor 
many books. Those who have been most remarkable for their attain- 
ments have not always been men of leisure. Bowditch was one of 
the busiest men of New England ; Dalton, who discovered the laws 
of the atomic theory, was a schoolmaster ; Priestly, when he made 
his great discoveries in pneumatic chemistry, was a poor and busy 
clergyman. 

A quiet fireside and a few books are cheap luxuries, and an hour or 
two spent in study every morning or evening make a great show in 
ten years. 

But it requires great resolution to devote one or two hours a day 



36 

to a particular study for ten years, and those who have done it were 
great and remarkable men. 

True ; but it does not require any great resolution to devote two 
hours a day, or even four hours, to the daily preparation for the daily 
recurring duties of school. Everv one of you, who deserves the name 
of a teacher, must have spent as many hours daily in study, at least 
when his duties as a teacher first began. And the satisfaction of be- 
ing thoroughly prepared for the lessons of the day, so as to look over 
the shoulder of the author of the text-book and correct his mistakes? 
takes the place of resolution or makes it easy. 

But if we can summon resolution and find the time, what would 
you have us study ? 

First, I would advise you to study faithfully the very branches you 
are teaching. You are teaching arithmetic. I would have you study 
until you can dispense with the text-book, and so not teach any par- 
ticular author, but the science itself. So do with geometry, and 
algebra. It is not so very hard. I have seen young ladies of eighteen 
teach in this style, — not Euclid or Playfair or Legendre or Pierce, — 
but geometry. So have I seen young men teach optics.' The truth 
is that the complete attainment of the elements of the exact sciences 
does not require a very long time, and teaching them is comparatively 
easy. It is far easier to teach geometry in a masterly style than to 
teach the elements of reading and spelling, with our crabbed English 
alphabet even tolerably. 

You teach geography. It is a vast and inexhaustible science. 
The earth and its soils and climates, the depths and tides and currents 
of the ocean, the currents of the air, the distribution of light and 
heat, the currents or waves of electricity and magnetism, the produc- 
tions of the earth, the nations that dwell upon it, its natural divisions 
and its civil divisions — it is a large groupe of sciences rather than 
one ; and no science more richly deserves or will more largely reward 
your study. I listened to an old man of vast learning and great zeal, 
in Berlin, who has devoted his life to teaching geography, and who 
yet gives a new freshness to his lessons every day. 

It is not an uncommon thing for teachers to complain that their 
pursuits have not the same interest for other people that those of the 
so-called learned professions have. If it is so, their list of studies 
ought to be amended, for children ought to be taught what will be 
most important and interesting to them as men. But geography can 
not fall under this condemnation. The questions discussed in geogra- 
phy must always be interesting to all intelligent men and women ; 
and. if the village schoolmaster will take care to be better informed 
upon these questions than anybody else, he will, in that particular at 
least, be the light of the village, and a valuable addition to any party 
met for agreeable conversation upon the affairs of the world. 

Nearly the same is true, in a less degree, of those portions of his- 
tory which are studied ih" school. ' 

Next to the regular school studies, I would advise a person who 



37 



aspires to teach as well as possible, to study, what as necessarily the 
vehicle and organ of thought upon all subjects, language. If possi- 
ble -if time enough can be found, and resolution enough -I would 
advise the study of § the Lantin language ;. because that language n s the 
source of almost all the difficult dictionary words of our o^n langu 
a" -of that portion of our language in which ^^JZ^f 
ture, morals, taste and metaphysics are ezpres sed, n*^™^** 
most of the languages of Europe, those at least, of France, bpam, 

'^iJ'th^ Se to be found for so large an acquisition, 1 would 
advse the study of the French language. France has been more 
S; than another country connected .with our mother county 
and 4s literature, its history, its philosophy, its science, are very 
nearly connected 'with ours? They are often the counterpart and 

"Srlfw Bacon, is for delight, for ornament, and for use, 
I have mentioned some of those studies which are most useful to , the 
[eacher. For ornament, as well as use, none is more to be ^e com- 
mended than the study of our own rich and manly English ^era^ure 
Of our poets, one can hardly use too strong language. The names 
of Shakspeare and Milton, Coleridge and Wordsworth, and a host of 
others ar P e not to be placed below the names of corresponding poets 
f any language, ancient or modem. As much can be said of our 

T 1TL botanv To a teacher wearied with a long day s la- 
IntjX^tTZ&oLn* cares, distractions and annoyances 

i^X^^J^&m object interesting enough to 

C 1n U ^7ac f rL?;r P rS in anyother, is one word of apology 
necessary tor r Commending the study of the natural sciences In- 
deed the time for apology and vindication has everywhere passed. 
Th 'd Lnitv Tnd worth of the natural sciences are allowed and some 
of he -oSdistinquished men now living are devote I to hem But 
it would be ungrateful in me, here or anywher e to speak of toe na_ 
tural sciences without recording my thanks to them. Itoi to me i 
reshme t and agreeable diversion which they have rendered ^ 
the midst of the cares of which I have spoken I owe bel ™» ™JJ 
than to any other cause, the vigorous and healthy constitution 1 now 



38 

enjoy, instead of the nervous, headachy, dyspeptic absence of constitu- 
tion with which I began my life as a teacher. To this and to a rigor- 
ous observance of those other laws of health and of life, the knowledge 
of which is another fruit of a study of nature rightly pursued, I owe 
that freedom from disease which makes existence a blessing. It is 
not necessary for me to add — under God I owe this. For the laws 
which I have learnt, and have learnt to obey, are God's laws. As 
such I regard them, as such I would teach them, and as such I grate- 
fully and cheerfully obey. / 

Some of you, I am afraid, will say, we should rejoice to follow this 
advice, and devote our leisure to delightful studies, which should 
make us at once happier men and better teachers ; but we are so 
overwhelmed with merely elementary teaching, that to most of our 
pupils this labor would be lost. If it is so, it is much to be regretted. 
For the teaching of the letters and the other elements ought to be 
confined to the female schools ; not that the teaching of that period is 
less important, or that females are less highly gifted by nature as 
teachers. 

The reverse I believe to be true. The most important period 
in education is the very commencement, and the best teachers, for 
the young at least, are females. One of the most valuable fruits of 
the interest which has been taken in education in Massachusetts with- 
in the last twenty years, and of the innumerable experiments that 
have been made there, is the establishment of the fact that, both for 
instruction and discipline, in schools for children under fourteen years 
of age, females have higher qualifications than males. They have 
more gentleness, more persuasiveness, more patience, a truer sym- 
pathy with children, and a quicker perception of their difficulties and 
of the peculiarities of their constitution. Relying, for their influence 
in governing, upon reason and kindness, and the power which intelli- 
gence, refinement and superior character naturally have, they easily 
succeed in gaining a willing obedience to their rule • and this willing 
obedience has a lasting effect in forming the character and habits for 
life. For the great lesson of life is willing obedience to law and to 
right. 

Compulsory obedience is not real obedience. The boy or the man 
who submits because he is obliged to submit, will throw off the rule as 
soon as he gets beyond the reach of the controlling power. True 
obedience to the laws of man and to the laws of God must be volun- 
tary; seeing that as Infinite Wisdom teaches us, no offering is ac- 
ceptable but a free-will offering. 

Much depends, through the whole course of a child's education, 
and onward, no one can tell how far, upon the start he takes. The 
highest intelligence and the noblest character should preside over 
the very beginning. 

So well is this understeod in that country of Europe which has 
paid most attention to education, that I have seen the alphabet taught 
by a person well qualified in talent and character to be a professor. 



39 



But it was not the alphabet alone; with the reading of the alphabet were 
taught at once, writing, drawing, spelling, and something of natural 
history and of the German language ; and all of them better than 
either could have been taught by itself. _ 

In several of the gymnasia which I have examined, in Berlin and 
other places, the very lowest classes, made up of children of seven or 
eight, were committed to the management of young men of such ta- 
lent and promise, that out of them, when they shall have passed up 
through all the grades of instruction, will doubtless come individuals 
who will have charge of the highest institutions and a seat in the privy 

council of the king. . . 

A common course of open complaint, or of secret repining amongst 
teachers, everywhere, I believe, in this country, is the inadequate 
pecuniary recompense which is made for their labors and sacrifices. 
It is undoubtedly too low. But there are two circumstances of a 
consolatory and encouraging nature to be considered. One is, that 
the salary of teachers is rising. Wherever a striking improvement 
has taken place in the character of the teachers, a corresponding 
change has been made in their pay. The salary of teachers, of all 
grades, has been constantly rising, in the towns of New England, for 
the last fifteen years, and is now fifty per cent, larger than t was 
at the beginning of that period. , 

Another consideration is that a teacher's livelihood is less liable to 
risks than that of most other persons. If he can learn to be content 
with a little, he may be pretty sure of that little. If he have the habits 
that I have been recommending, his resources are much within him- 
self. The only luxury he is tempted to indulge in is that of books, the 
cheapest as well as the highest of all. If he will make himself what 
he should be, he will have a rich reward in the esteem and respect 
of the better part of society, and in the affection and gratitude ot his 

PU The pecuniary reward is not the highest reward. _ We overvalue it 
absurdly. We, of the Anglo-Saxon race, we Americans are, like the 
English, mad with the love of money. Our elder brothers, the Ger- 
mans, and our cousins, the French are wiser in this. Learned men 
in Germany and France are content with salaries which we, m this 
country, should regard as pitiful. 

The calling of the teacher is really, in itself, one of the most honor- 
able and one of the most desirable in the world. He has to deal with 
that which is highest; with the intelligence, the affections and the 
character of immortal beings. All these he has to do what he can to 
awaken, to form and to elevate towards the highest ends. His caies 
are many but they are transient. The pupil who has given him trou- 
ble will, if he perseveres in a wise and right course, give him pleasure 
enough to compensate for all his cares. His responsibility is great ; 
next to that of a parent, it is the greatest that can be allotted tc .a 
human being. But every responsibility rightly considered is a privi- 
lege And the responsibility of a teacher is one every effort to di*- 



40 

charge which worthily and faithfully, elevates him amongst God's ac- 
countable creatures. The materials he has to work with are God's 
works and the collected wisdom of all good men ; all that is contained 
in books, and all that is spread abroad on the face of the creation. 
His proper and legitimate pursuits are those delightful studies which 
the most fortunate and prosperous of men promise themselves, in the 
evening of life, as the reward and solace of all their power, as the 
consummate fruit of all their success. 

As to the place the teacher may hold in the consideration of men, 
it may not satisfy the desires of a worldly ambition; but of this he may 
be assured; if he will take care that every one of his own pupils shall 
hereafter look back upon him as a perfect gentleman, kind and just, 
a true friend, generous and sincere, indulgent and yet firm, full of 
excellent knowledge which he was always ready to impart, and habit- 
ually influenced by noble and disinterested motives, which made him 
in his manners and his character worthy of affectionate imitation, he 
will have no occasion to envy the reputation of most other men : and 
his pupils will be able to speak of at least one teacher worthy of all 
respect. 






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